Feb. 3, 2021—Ford Motor Co. plans to cut production and temporarily lay off UAW members at its Chicago assembly plant, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The layoffs are directly tied to a global supply chain problem caused by COVID-19, which has triggered a shortage of semiconductor chips.
“The company has informed us that beginning next week, they want to have B and C crew laid off initially for one week with a strong potential for additional weeks. It’s totally based on how soon the supplier resolves this issue,” UAW Local 551 Chairman Coby Millender wrote in a letter to assembly workers.
Laid-off workers will receive roughly 75 percent of their gross pay, in accordance with the labor contract.
The plant is now the fourth with layoffs or shift reductions because of the semiconductor ship shortage. Assembly plants in Dearborn, Kansas City and Louisville have also experienced the effects.
